Dainty Dress Diaries

Based on Catherine Carton's popular blog and vlog channels, Dainty Dress Diaries contains a variety of afternoon craft projects, recycling and upcycling ideas, gardening tips and sewing inspiration.

This guide is packed with gardening ideas everyone will enjoy - no heavy-duty stuff, just loads of down-to-earth common sense and inspiration by the bucket-load. The guide is full of easy-to-follow advice and information, including: projects to transform gardens of all sizes and types; Charlie's favourite plants - for maximum effect and fun, minimum work and fuss; easy colour and life for any garden, using pots, hanging baskets, lighting and decoration; top tips, short-cuts and tricks of the trade; how to give your garden a touch of the exotic or unusual - going tropical, watery or wild; and step-by-step instructions and detailed photographs.

Extraordinary wedding on an ordinary budget Desiree Siegfried-Hartsock, star of ABC’s The Bachelorette (2013 season), gives her best advice on how to have an extraordinary wedding, on an ordinary budget. In My Fairytale Wedding, Siegfried-Hartsock demystifies wedding planning and budgeting, offering super-practical tips on how to make your wedding a fabulous and memorable event. From small family weddings at home to breath-taking destination weddings, Siegfried-Hartsock guides you through everything you need for your dream wedding without breaking the bank.

In Print Play, screen printing designers and teachers Jess Wright and Lara Davies welcome you into their colorful, pattern-filled world with a series of how-to screen printing projects. The book covers all the basics of screen printing at home before delving into more complex techniques and projects, ranging from homewares to accessories and clothing. The 30 projects are accessible to novice screen printers, as well as keeping more experienced screen printers challenged, and include printed wallpaper, posters, beach towels, napery, tote bags and planter boxes. Extra chapters focus on creating color palettes, finding inspiration and designing your own unique patterns. Written with a sense of fun and offering easy-to-follow instructions, Jess and Lara invite you to create some screen printing magic of your own.

“Imagine if Annie Proulx wrote something like White Oleander crossed with Geek Love or Cruddy, and then add cults, God, motherhood, girlhood, class, deserts, witches, the divinity of women . . . Terrifying, resplendent, and profoundly moving, this book will leave you changed." —T Kira Madden, author of Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls Drought has settled on the town of Peaches, California. The area of the Central Valley where fourteen–year–old Lacey May and her alcoholic mother live was once an agricultural paradise. Now it’s an environmental disaster, a place of cracked earth and barren raisin farms. In their desperation, residents have turned to a cult leader named Pastor Vern for guidance. He promises, through secret “assignments,” to bring the rain everybody is praying for. Lacey has no reason to doubt the pastor. But then her life explodes in a single unimaginable act of abandonment: her mother, exiled from the community for her sins, leaves Lacey and runs off with a man she barely knows. Abandoned and distraught, Lacey May moves in with her widowed grandma, Cherry, who is more concerned with her taxidermy mouse collection than her own granddaughter. As Lacey May endures the increasingly appalling acts of men who want to write all the rules and begins to uncover the full extent of Pastor Vern’s shocking plan to bring fertility back to the land, she decides she must go on a quest to find her mother no matter what it takes. With her only guidance coming from the romance novels she reads and the unlikely companionship of the women who knew her mother, she must find her own way through unthinkable circumstances. Possessed of an unstoppable plot and a brilliantly soulful voice, Godshot is a book of grit and humor and heart, a debut novel about female friendship and resilience, mother–loss and motherhood, and seeking salvation in unexpected places. It introduces a writer who gives Flannery O’Connor’s Gothic parables a Californian twist and who emerges with a miracle that is all her own. “[A] haunting debut . . . This is a harrowing tale, which Bieker smartly writes through the lens of a teenager on the cusp of understanding the often fraught relationship between religion and sexuality . . . It's a timely and disturbing portrait of how easily men can take advantage of vulnerable women—and the consequences sink in more deeply with each page."—Annabel Gutterman, Time “Drawn in brilliant, bizarre detail—baptism in warm soda, wisdom from romance novels—Lacey's twin crises of faith and femininity tangle powerfully. Fiercely written and endlessly readable, a novel like this is a godsend. A–.”—Mary Sollosi, Entertainment Weekly

GO FROM THRIFT-SHOP CHEAP TO RUNWAY CHIC EACH AND EVERY DAY! Based on her wildly popular blog of the same name, guerrilla seamstress Marisa Lynch shows you how to easily (and affordably!) transform your wardrobe from frumpy to fabulous! With just a snip here and a stitch there, your basement bargains will rival anything in designer collections. Yes, with a little imagination—and DIY tools like needles, thread, and safety pins—you too can update an outdated castoff. Inside you’ll discover how to • ace the sewing basics (remember: safety first!) • create DIY designer look-alikes • cut Flashdance-inspired sweatshirts • make an old, tired muumuu a smashing must-have • give bridesmaid dresses a second life • dye your way to a vibrant new wardrobe • whip up accessories in seconds • style the same dress seven different ways Complete with colorful before-and-after photos, fun sidebars, and even a groovy sewing song playlist to get you in the zone, New Dress a Day proves that you don’t need a sewing machine or a big budget to turn unfashionable trash into stylish treasure.

TLC's Counting On breakout stars Jeremy and Jinger Vuolo share their love story, a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their lives together, and the hope that drives them every day. Jinger Vuolo did not have what you'd call a typical childhood. The sixth child of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's nineteen, she grew up with the bright lights of television crews in her home, filming the hit TLC show 19 Kids and Counting. Jinger has always been a fan favorite, and now she and her husband Jeremy are the breakout stars of the show's sequel, Counting On. In The Hope We Hold, Jeremy and Jinger Vuolo share the highs and lows of their love story. They open up about the early days of getting to know one another, their long-distance relationship, and the many sleepless nights of their time as new parents. But throughout all their stories, just below the surface, weaving together every triumph and trial of their lives, is the silver thread of hope. Though they don't pretend to have all the answers, they can promise that there is hope in Christ for every person in every walk of life. There is an inheritance of glory, a life richer than we can imagine, if we only walk with Him.

Irish Aran knitting is a living tradition with a worldwide reach. Arans communicate warmth, comfort and a sense of home, which people the world over continue to respond to, even though the connection to our rocky outcroppings in the Atlantic Ocean may be long forgotten. Aran grew up in the harsh environment of the Aran Islands where everyday wear consisted of home-spun fabrics and knits. Today Aran survives as part of a rich craft heritage and as high and slow fashion on the catwalks of the world. Vawn Corrigan explores the history, mythology and growth of this iconic design in this beautiful and informative hardback book.

This fabulous collection of 30 designs is a tempting treasure trove of indulgent treats for the knitter. No matter what your mood, you will find the perfect project for an instant pick-me-up. Whether you are looking for a quick and easy, one- or two-ball knit that can be made over a weekend or a larger, more extravagant piece that will become a unique and treasured addition to either your wardrobe or your home, the projects in Knits for You and Your Home provide the perfect excuse to allow yourself a slice of me-time - an opportunity to snuggle down and create for yourself some knitted luxury. Divided into four evocative sections - Indulge, Cocoon, Pamper and Detox - each chapter contains ideas for both cosy homewares and accessories alongside casual garments and other things to wear around the home. Why not try making a delightful keepsake frame, a sensual lavender pillow or a practical storage box for your home? Or treat yourself with a delicate party shrug, a pretty jewelled watch strap or even a luxurious dressing gown. Whatever you decide to make, Knits for You and Your Home puts the focus back on you. Why not make yourself something special? After all, you deserve it. Of course, you could make any one of these projects for a cherished friend or loved one.

Fifteen successful female entrepreneurs tell their stories-stories that will inspire other women to follow through on their dreams of starting a business.